Vessel and method of constructing it



March 14, M upso AL 2,344,223

VESSEL AND IE'X'HOD OF CONSTRUGTING IT Filed April 16, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 14, 1944. M. M. UPSON arm.

VESSEL AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING IT 4- Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 16, 1945 mvsurons' yJOHN/YAl/LBROo/r 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORJ MAX 1445/. 1. M UPSO/V y JOHN A( PH/LBROOK March. 1944- M. M. uPsoN arm.

' VESSEL AND IETHOD OF cduszrnucnue IT Filed April 16, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 M. M. UPSON ETAL Filed April 16. 1943 VESSEL AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING IT March 14', 1944.

Patented Mar. 14, 1944 U N ITED iiOF'FFT-CE ook Tc fiy N-: Concrete Pile Com aliy; New york; N

Dbratiofibf New Jersey -Appli'cziti0n April 16, 194-35 Se'rlal NO? 4333846 This invention relates to vessels; 5 either selfpropelled or toWed,' and -to"methods of making them. More specifically; it relates to such" vessels composed of concrete and steel and'to methods of constructing and assembling them.

has'for its objects; among others, to provide aneconomical method" 'of constructing reinforced concrete vessels. It'rnak'es" possible the working of the steel at higher unit str'e s's'es, which in turnreduces the"re'qui'rdaiiihiint 'of steel, and provides amethod bf forming 'andcasting the 'concrete'which is more economical than the usual methods. 'Asiswer ntwmn the art of making reinforced concrete; 'thechficrete'surrounding the "steel shrinks while 'it' 'is "setting, whichshrinkage places the steel under compression. Inconse'quence, before 'the steel can take its tension 'load the concrete is subjected to a tension" "force" caused by its bond'with the steel. This results in limitingfthe working stress to not more than '12,00'0'-15 ,000 pounds per square inch, and sometimes less. If greater stressesare used there is danger of disrupting the concrete-toe degree that permits'wa'ter and air to disintegrate the steel. w V

As against-this, if thesteelisput in tension and is released to-a degree that willcontinually keep the concrete-in-compression--and hold. the compressionafter the concrete is =set, the-two materials 'Work together -in---a manner thatz permits the steel to'be loaded to itsfullsafeworking tension without any disruptive aotion on theconcrete. This makes it possible to work the steel to materially higher-unit -stresses-and thereby save inquantity of steelused.

Furthermore, by-- making the vessel structure in sections so that they can be poured in vertical forms which canbe used without complete'dismantling and in 'which the reinforcing steel can be stressed before the concrete is poured, it is possible tosa-Vesubstantially in material, labor and time. Other objects and advantages will appear as the disclosure proceeds.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate, to.

some extent diagrammatically, what we now'consider to be a preferred-form of the invention.

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly broken away; of'a ship constructed in-accordancewith our-invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partlybroken awayfiof the ship shownin Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a"s'ectiona1-elevation, taken 'o'n the line "3='3 or Fig; 4', showing one of theintermediate 01" waist sections of the"'shipdncross section- J.. as'signors tolRay-niqrid and showing a part-*bfftheapp'araitus 'employed in F 'asseriibling a number-iof' 'such seotions;

l l is a elevation;partly-' broken away; of hi apparatusmployedin practicing the H must-"bedesignd and c'oristructed to withstand the consequent severe strains -without developing I objectionable leaks.

ome or m a*prova niethoas of b'uilding-ships ofreinforced co iib'fet 'is tcf'G'aSt theCorldrtein longitudinallycontinuous pourings, but 'this is 'a difficult, complicated, expensive and otherwise objectionable rocedure. Theuse of precast sections I provides"- a' c heap -rnethod of manufacture, but it has "bn,--hertofore, diificultyif hbt 'impdssible. to provide a joint between the sections that is leak-proofand otherwise "satisfactory.

9 According' to our invention the-ship is composed of a bow section lfly-as'trn sectimr -I 2 'and a plurality bf waist "s'eotlons "I 4 between the how and stern sections. In the drawings the shlp propulsion apparatus: aild fdthr necessary m'achinery 'a'r ca'ted 'in the-stein section lzyana the usual'auxili ary apparatusis locatedinthe bow'sction' "I 0 f and 'the intermediate or waist section's i 4 1 primarily 'coristitutethe cargo carryihg 'space. Eaclt of thesectibns I I is-composed of concrete reinforced with steel; the longitudi- 'nallly extending reinforcing rods or members'being' pie-stressed. l Byfpre s'tressed the steel-hasbeen V ing' of the -'concrete==and maintain'ed under sueh tension during! 'pourlhg and zuntil the; concrete is able to take compression. 3 The==appliedtension is such "(when =rel'easedfiastd place thesetconcrete'in substantial;track-preventing; longitudinal compression. The reinforced concrete bow l ll) and stem l 2 sections maybeconstructed in the "cominon -oi=- usual-way orthe'steei of either we mea'mthat 'acedlxi tension prioroto poub lindrical portions 16 are also integrally connected with upper and lower arches 28, 23. As stated, the material l3-l8-20 is 'concrete suitably reinforced transversely and longitudinally. Reinforcing members are not shown in Fig.3 but longitudinal reinforcing members are shown in others of the drawings. It iswiththe longitudinally (fore to aft) extending reinforcing members that we are chiefly concerned and we shall confine our disclosure to them.

Each of thesections 14 has a plurality of prestressed reinforcing rods 22v (seeFigs. 5 and 8). Each rod 22 extends preferably continuously longitudinally through the wall of its particular section I4 and extends beyond the latter at each end. Each rod is shown screw-threaded at its opposite ends for a purposepresently appearing.

After the various sectionsgl l are constructed, they are assembled, connected and joined by the means and'according to the method now to be described.

The sections i4 are mounted on planks or skids 24 which, in turn, are supported on a concrete bed or base 26 (Figs. 3 and l). A plurality of gantries 23 are provided for supporting a plurality (in the present case, two) longitudinal cylinders 29 which act as compression members to transmit the load from two hydraulic rams 30 which react against the top of abutment 36. Similar hydraulic rams 32-, 32 are provided between abutment 36 and bed 26. The bases of the ram cylinders abut or seat against the bed 26 which in turn, at the left hand end bears against a stiff (almost non-deflectable) abutment 34 of reinforced concrete. The plungers of each ram engage a similar abuhnent 33 that is bodily movable longitudinally; i. e., toward and away from the abutment 34. Each abutment 34, 33 hasprojecting steel rods 38 which are firmly embedded in the abutment and are the same in number as those in each section l4 and which are similarlylocated so as to be registrable therewith. Each rod 38 is screw-threaded at its projecting end.

In assembling the sections 44, the procedure is as follows. A yoke 40 (see Figs. 5 and 6) is slipped over the-end of each rod 38 of the abutment 36 and a nut 42 is then screwed onto the end of each of those rods. A yoke 43 is slipped over the end of each-rod 22 that projects toward the left from each of the sections i4, and a nut 42 is screwed onto the ends .of each of those rods. The rods 38, 22, 38, are aligned so as to be in longitudinal registration. The yokes 40 are moved to the left on the rods which carry them, onto theadjacent rods 22 of the adjacent sections M or the rods 38 of the abutment 34. A nut 42 is screwed onto theend of each of the rods 38 of the abutment 34 and'onto the end of each of the rods 22 which project to the right (Fig. 4) from the sections l4. Each of the nuts is constructed, as by knurling the periphery, so as to be turned by a suitable wrench or other tool.

The nuts 42 are turned to take up all 'slack elastic limit of on the system during and so that the tension exerted upon the various longitudinally extending series of rods 22 shall be uniform when the abutment 36 is moved longitudinally, i. e., away from the abutment 34. Liquid under pressure is then supplied to the rams 30, 32 to apply uniform tension to the projecting ends of all of the rods 22 and to the yokes 43. The tension may be substantially the same as that previously applied to the rods 22 .when casting each section 14, and so as to place the projecting ends of the rods 22 and the yokes 43 under a considerable tension, but below the the steel composing the rods 22 40. This tension is now maintained the completion of the joints Each such joint is then and yokes between the sections l4. completed as follows.

'Using suitable forms, concrete is poured between the end surfaces of the adjacent sections l4. Preferably, a pre-cast suitably reinforced concrete transverse partition or bulkhead 50 is placed in position (see Figs. 7 and 8) at each joint before the joint is poured. After the concrete poured to complete the joints between the sections [4 has set, the tension is released by relieving the pressure of the liquid in the rams 30, 32. The joints between the sections I4 are now complete and appear as shown in Figs. '7 and 8. Each of such joints, by virtue of the pre-stressed longitudinally extending ends of the rods 22 and yokes 40, is tight, substantially leak-proof, and comparatively light and not bulky. The partitions or bulkheads 50 aid materially in strengthening the structure.

The joint forms are removed through suitable hatch openings (not shown).

Each joint connecting the sections I4 has, in the space between cylinders I6 and arches 20, openings 52 to provide access from section to section after completion of the ship.

After the sections l4 have been joined as de scribed above, the yokes 43 are disconnected from the rods 38 and the abutments 34 and 36 are moved out of the way so that the how (10) and stern (l2) sections may now be joined to the opposite ends of the completed waist l4, [4. This may be accomplished in a manner similar to that described above except that (at least in some cases) pre-stressing of the rods and their yokes 40 in the bow and stem joints may not be required since those joints are not subjected to the enormous stresses which the joints between sections l4 of the waist of the ship encounter.

A completed ship appears as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. While the invention is not limited to the number and dimensions of the particular sections employed, we give the following as one example. For a ship having an overall length of about 280 feet with a thirty-five foot beam, the bow section 10 would be fifty feet long, each of the waist or intermediate sections [4 would be twenty-five feet long, there being seven of such sections 14, and the stern section l2 would be fifty feet long. The size and distribution of the longitudinal reinforcing steel rods 22, and their corresponding yokes 43, in the cylindrical walls l6, l6, and in the arches 20, 20 (Fig. 3) will depend upon the size and class of ship desired.

In the particular ship illustrated, each section (see Fig. 3) embodies two substantially cylindrical members joined as above described. The invention however is not limited to the use of two such cylinders. For example, in some vessels maniacs it wmay b desirable "to use :three of? such cylinships.

The invention has been shown and described asapplied to a ship, 1. e.,-a self-propelled vessel. It is applicable, however, to. barges or other vessels which :are not self+propelled but are towed. It is. therefore to be understood that the word vessel, used in. therappended. claims, is meant to include vessels, whether they be of the self-propelled or towed type.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, We have herein described the principle of operation of our invention, together with the apparatus which we now consider to represent the best embodiments thereof, but we desire to have it understood that the apparatus disclosed is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means. Also, while it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combinations and relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted, without interfering with the more general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

l. A reinforced concrete vessel including, in combination, a bow section, a stern section, and a plurality of pro-cast waist sections intermediate said bow and stem sections, reinforced concrete joints connecting the bow and stern sections to their adjacent waist sections, and reinforced concrete joints connecting the waist sections, the reinforcement of said last mentioned joints including longitudinally extending pie-stressed steel members.

2. in a reinforced concrete vessel, in combination a plurality of pro-cast reinforced concrete waist sections having longitudinally extending steel reinforcing members extending through them and projecting from the opposite ends, the ends of the members of each section being connected to the ends of the members of an adjacent section, and concrete embedding the members between sections, the steel between adjacent sections being pre-stressed.

3. A reinforced concrete vessel including, in combination, a pre-cast bow section, a pre-cast stern section, a plurality of pro-cast waist sections intermediate said bow and stem sections, and a plurality of connected steel reinforcing members extending from the bow section to the stern section and pro-stressed between adjacent waist sections.

l. The method of constructing a reinforced concrete vessel, which method includes, in combination, pre-casting a plurailty of waist sections each having longitudinally extending prestressed steel reinforcing members projecting from the opposite ends thereof, joining the ends of the members of one section to the ends of the members of an adjacent section, applying tension to the steel reinforcing members between adjacent sections, completing the joints between sections by covering the exposed members with concrete, and maintaining the applied tension until the concrete between sections has set.

5. A reinforced concrete vessel including, in combination, a bow section, a stern section, and a plurality of pro-cast waist sections intermediate bow and stern sections, each of said waist sections having pro-stressed longitudinal reinforcing members, reinforced concret joints connectingi'the' bow and stem: sections: to'ltheir rad acent waist' sections,- andreinforced concrete joints connecting thewaist sections, the reinforcementof said last-mentioned joints including 1le'ongitudinally extending pre-stressedsteel memers.

6.'In a reinforced concrete vessel, in combination, a plurality of pre-cast reinforced concrete waist sections having longitudinally extending steel reinforcing members, means connecting the ends of the members of each sectionto the ends of the members of an adjacent'section, and concrete embedding the members between sections, the steel between adjacent-sections'ubeing'prestressed.

7. A reinforced concrete vessel including, in combination, a pre-cast bow section, a pro-cast stern section, a plurality of pre-cast waist sections intermediate said bow and stern sections, each of said waist sections having pre-stressed longitudinal reinforcing members, and a plurality of connected steel reinforcing members extending from the bow section to the stern section and pro-stressed between adjacent waist secions.

8. The method of constructing a reinforced concrete vessel, which method includes, in combination, pre-casting a plurality of waist sections each having longitudinally extending steel reinforcing members, joining the ends of the members of one section to the ends of th members of an adjacent section, applying tension to the steel reinforcing members between adjacent sections, completing the joints between sections by covering the exposed members with concrete, and maintaining the applied tension until the concrete between sections has set.

9. A reinforced concrete vessel including, in combination, a p re-cast bow section, a pre-cast stern section, and a plurality of pre-cast waist sections intermediate said bow and stern sections, the total length of said waist sections being greater than the sum of the lengths of the bow and stem sections, reinforced concrete joints connecting the bow and stern sections to their adjacent waist sections, and reinforced concrete joints connecting the waist sections, the reinforcement of said last mentioned joints including loongitudinally extending pre-stressed steel memers.

10. In a reinforced concrete vessel, in combination, a plurality of pro-cast reinforced concrete waist sections having longitudinally extending pre-stressed steel reinforcing members, means connecting the ends of the members of each section to the ends of the members of an adjacent section, and concrete embedding the members between sections, the steel between adjacent sections being pre-stressed.

11. A reinforced concrete vessel including, in combination, a pre-cast bow section, a pro-cast stern section, a plurality of tubular pre-cast waist sections intermediate said bow and stern sections, and a plurality of connected steel reinforcing members extending from the bow section to the stern section and pro-stressed between the ends of adjacent waist sections.

12. The method of constructing a reinforced concrete vessel, which method includes, in combination, pre-casting a plurality of waist sections each having longitudinally extending pre-stressed steel reinforcing members, joining the ends of the members of one section to the ends of the members of an adjacent section, applying tension to the steel reinforcing members between adjacent sections, completing the joints between sections by covering the exposed members with concrete, and maintainin-g'the applied tension 14. The method of constructing a reinforced concrete vessel, which method includes, in combination, pre-casting a plurality of waist sections each having longitudinally extending prestressed steel reinforcing members, joining the ends of the members of one section to the ends of the members of an adjacent section, and applying tension to the steel reinforcing members between adjacent sections while completing the joints between sections by covering the exposed members with concrete.

MAXWELL M. UPSON. JOHN N. PHILBROOK. 

